The nation, which will host the next edition of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018, placed fifth and seventh at Vancouver 2010 and Turin 2006 - with 14 and 11 medals - respectively, and will hoping for more of the same this year.

Park, along with the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) head Kim Jung-haeng and Korea Skating Union (KSU) President Kim Jae-youl, visited the athletes and offered words of encouragement to mark the 30-day countdown as they continued their work at the National Training Centre in Seoul.

"The passion, confidence and vitality of our national athletes and coaches are a source of energy for our country," the President said.

"The Government will provide support to allow our athletes to compete in a more comfortable and fun environment."

Kim Yu-Na will be hoping to defend her figure skating gold from Vancouver 2010 at the Sochi 2014 Olympics ©Getty Images


Following on from the six gold medals taken at both Vancouver and Turin, the nation is now aiming to top the podium at least four times in Sochi - something that should be achievable, particularly as the KOC expects to field its largest Winter Games delegation ever, with 64 athletes competing in up to six sports.

Fifteen speed skaters, 10 short track speed skaters, three figure skaters and five curlers have so far booked their Olympic spots as more of the nation's athletes battle for berths in bobsleigh and skeleton.

Among these is two-time world champion figure skater Kim Yu-Na, who will go to Sochi with the aim of winning her second straight Olympic gold, while speed skaters Mo Tae-Bum and Lee Sang-Hwa will be looking to defend their men's and women's 500 metres titles respectively.

Short track speed skater Shim Suk-Hee will also be a strong medal hope for South Korea after she secured the 3,000m world title in the Hungarian city of Debrecen in March last year.

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